Every year on the bank of the Don river in Romanovsky stanitsa, situated at 10 km from Volgodonsk town, a regional festival of author’s (balad) songs “Struny Dushi (Strings of Soul)” takes place.

    Performance of Nurulla Galinurova at the festival “Strings of Soul”

    This year a letter  in the name of the Rector was again received from the Head of Volgodonsky region with invitation to the festival. From the Mining University a leader of a creative association “Gorny (Mining) Crystal” Lev Zonov and student of Mining-Technological faculty Nurulla Galinurov were sent to the festival. We asked Lev Dmitriyevich to share  his impressions and he told us the following.

    “Interregional festival “Strings of Soul” was held this year for the 12th time. Nurulla Galinurov presented the Mining University in a proper manner. After listening to him before and after the  performance at the competitive concert his neighbors with whom he lived in a marquee and sat near the campfire did not let him go for two days and nights.  As the festival was devoted to the 65th anniversary of the Great Victory, I advised him to prepare a ballad song “My Grandfather told me”. The prediction turned out to be correct. When a young guy with excellent voice, good guitar playing came up to the microphone and performed this song, nobody of the audience, the jury members all the more, could be left indifferent. It was a pleasure for me that this year again our student became a laureate of the festival and received a Diploma with the signature of the Ministry of Culture of Rostovsky oblast  and the Jury Chairman. Nurulla became the 6th student from Mining, who had participated in five festivals “Strings of Soul”. All of them returned to the native University  having become prize-winners.

    Presentation to Nurulla Galinurov the Diploma of the festival participant

    Not many people know that Nurulla was also a laureate at the competition between higher achoola of author’s songs in Yekaterinburg and  at the competition of laureates and prize-winners of festivals of author’s song.

    This year I was a member of the festival jury again and was a leader of one of five creative workshops.

    Lev Zonov — a leader of a creative association “Gorny Crystal”

    Vadim Yegorov  was a Chairman of the Jury. He is also a Chairman of Jury of Grushinsky festival and is well known in Russia and abroad as an author-performer of songs. Representatives of Kazakhstan, South Korea, Germany, authors-performers of seven subjects of Russian Federation, representatives of nine cities of Russia and twenty districts of Rostovsky oblast took part in this festival. As a whole  the audience exceeded 30 000 people. In creative associations 189 authors-performers (including ensembles) were listened to. In the south of Russia more than a hundred festivals takes place, but “Strings  of Soul” became the most popular and large-scale one, Rostovsky Power station being a general promoter  of it for many years”.

    Festival of Author’s (ballad) song “Strings of Soul”

    Nurulla Galinurov was invited to the Rector’s sitting of URSMU where he performed his song on the Rector Nikolai Kosarev’s request. After recitation (as there were no guitar) there was a burst of applause from members of the university administration. It  became as a  great reward to the author-laureate for the performance.

My grandfather told me /     that for the joy of life /  high price  had been  paid / that a  Russian soldier selflessly/ stood like a wall /  for lives of his people    

My grandfather told me /    that he had seen many troubles /  many tears, and soldiers’ blood / he said that only miracle could save him / that he had not fallen  in a common grave

My grandfather told me/ to live without troubles/ to value freedom with the whole heart /  to be happy, and beloved, and the Motherland to  love / to defend and take a firm stand for it

I was young / when my grandfather died / I didn’t think that I owe / to be at my Grandfather’s feet with  thanks / that with all relatives I so strongly connected

Appealing to those l / who had  survived the War/ I want to ask my Grandfather for excuse / and for my  happiness to all of you now / I want to  make a low, low bow!

(N.Galinurov)